Taste: Sweet core of caramel and dark fruits. Hard to identify everything going on here. While raisins may be present, I am getting more plums and cherry. Despite the low IBUs, I am getting some definite floral and spicy notes on the finish from the hops. Definitely not bitter though.

Feel: Medium to full body with light but lively carbonation. Fairly smooth overall, and the finish has a surprising amount of dryness.

Overall: I was a little scared of this beer, as with the low IBUs and the addition of raisins and brown sugar, I was expecting a really cloying beer. This is not cloying at all. While it is fairly sweet, it has a nice balance and strong drinkability. Impressive.

Edit for 2013 canning: Much more chocolate in the aroma and taste, maybe a little more chocolate than I would prefer, which begins to bother me about halfway through the can. The addition of vanilla is more subtle in the aroma, but provides a nice extra finish to the beer that I like. I liked it better before, and my average dropped from a 4.3 to a 3.6. I am sure the chocolate will garner the beer more attention, but not what I wanted. (1,437 characters)

Had this on tap at the Red Stag. L: Bright brown under a 1” moussey tan foam cap that hugs the side of the glass. S: chocolate, vanilla, dried fruit aromas. T: Light roast, chocolate, vanilla, dried fruit, a hint of coffee. No harsh or burnt flavors. F: Medium to medium full body, medium carbonation, very soft in the mouth. O: A good beer to drink while sitting by the fire. (382 characters)

Poured from a 12 oz. can into an Indeed shaker glass. Canned on 11/03/13.

Appearance: Pours a dark brownish black with a hint of amber. Moderate amount of bubbles and one finger of light tan head that fades into a thin creamy layer. Leaves a decent amount of lacing on the glass.

Can: Poured a dark deep brown color ale with a medium size off-white head with limited retention and not much lacing. Aroma of dry raisin and brown sugar with a healthy dose of caramelized sugar is very interesting. Taste is also dominated by a healthy dose of caramelized malt with some dry raisins notes and some light residual brown sugar notes. Body is bit light to sustain all the spices and dry fruits notes with medium carbonation. Interesting beer but seems to be lacking a little bit malt profile. (506 characters)